This property has a documented history as a landfill predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
The Adeline Property at 16 N 1st St in Yakima was the location of the Historic Bartolet Hotel and other commercial buildings, all of which were demolished in the 1980s; underground storage tanks were also present and removed in 1995. PCE and petroleum contamination found at the site has been attributed not to any identifiable on-site operation but to long-term dumping by off-site parties, based on the erratic distribution pattern and the absence of on-site hazardous-material sources. Remediation under the Standard Cleanup program included excavation and off-site disposal of approximately 160 tons of contaminated soil, replacement with clean backfill, and a two-year quarterly groundwater monitoring program totaling eight sampling events that commenced in March 1996 to confirm natural attenuation. The site has received a No Further Action determination. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
The PCE and petroleum contamination at this property was the product of dumping activity that accumulated over years preceding 1986 — a period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Underground storage tanks were present on the property during that same pre-1986 window, further linking the contamination timeline to an era of broad CGL coverage. The documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, off-site disposal, and a multi-year groundwater monitoring program — represent recoverable costs that historical carriers whose policies were in force during that period may be obligated to fund.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
